Mary Watson (chemist)

Mary Watson (October 1856 - 20 February 1933) was a British chemist. She was one of the first two women to study Chemistry at the University of Oxford, the other one being Margaret Seward.^[1]

Watson was born in October 1856 at Shirburn, Oxfordshire,^[2] daughter of John Watson and Anne Bruce. Her father was a farmer and land agent to the Earl of Macclesfield.^[3] She was educated at home and at St John's Wood High School. Watson entered Somerville Hall, later Somerville College, of the University of Oxford in 1879 on a Clothworkers' Scholarship.^[4] This was a scholarship of 35 pounds for three years.^[3] Somerville was founded in the same year as one of the two first women's colleges of Oxford. In 1881, she was awarded another two-year scholarship with a value of 30 pounds.^[5] Watson completed with a first class honours in Geology in 1882 and a second class in Chemistry in 1883.^[4] However, it was not until 1920 that Oxford allowed women to matriculate and therefore formally gain degrees.^[6]

Following graduation, Watson was appointed Science Mistress at Cheltenham Ladies' College. She held that position until 1886 when she had to resign following her marriage to John Style in Thame a year earlier.^[4][7] They lived in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire.^[8] Style was Headmaster at Cheltenham Grammar School since 1882, but was sacked in 1906.^[9] They retired to Michelmersh, Hampshire,^[2] where she died on 20 February 1933.^[4]

See also[]

• Women in chemistry

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Batson, Judy G. (2008). Her Oxford. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0-8265-1610-7.
• Rayner-Canham, Marelene; Rayner-Canham, Geoffrey (2008). Chemistry Was Their Life: Pioneering British Women Chemists, 1880-1949. London: Imperial College Press. doi:10.1142/p538. ISBN 9781860949869.
• Rayner-Canham, Marelene; Rayner-Canham, Geoffrey (2020). Pioneering British Women Chemists: Their Lives and Contributions. World Scientific. doi:10.1142/q0228. ISBN 9781786347688.